Monday, 16 January 2017

Fontenoy - Osprey for May 2017

Mike McNally and Sean O'Brogain.

A disputed succession to the Austrian throne
led to general war between the leading powers of Europe in 1740, with
France, Spain and Prussia on one side, and Britain, Habsburg Austria and
the Dutch Republic on the other. While fighting occurred across the
globe, the bloodiest battles were fought on the European continent, with
none more costly than the battle of Fontenoy in 1745.Fearing an
encirclement of France by a resurgent Habsburg-controlled Austria, the
French commander Marshall Saxe planned to overrun the Austrian
Netherlands, thereby dealing a decisive blow against their enemy's
ability to wage war. Saxe's army, the cream of the French military,
invaded and set up a defensive position at Fontenoy, near Tournai -
daring his enemies to knock him off his perch. This title, beautifully
illustrated with full colour plates, is an in-depth study of the British
Duke of Cumberland's attempt to assault Saxe's position. It focuses on
the inability of allied leaders to coordinate their attacks and how
Cumberland came within a whisker of achieving a major victory.

2 comments:

Mike is a good friend of mine and I was asked to keep schtumm until the official announcmentt. But I can say it reads as good as it looks having edited part of the text and helped with the British Order of Battle. Seans plates are damn fine too.